UMBRA, AN AD&D PBEM THE SETUP As you are ushered into the boot camp, you see that there was 20 other 'recruits'. First few days are pure hell as you are put through various tests and examinations. Very soon after your training begins. Your weapon skills are pushed to the limits as for first 4 weeks you spend practicing martial arts and strengthening your body. By the end of the 4 weeks each of you faces one of the trainers which tested you when you first got to the camp. To your suprise you notice that after drawn out match you were able to successfully beat your opponent. You watch rest of the matches and notice that you are one of the few who passed the test. As the thoughts of finally relaxing start to cross your mind your name is called. Along with few other cadets your called before your sergeant. She smiles and looks at you as she says "You were chosen to form special ops team. That is one of the highest honors, second to being Shar fighter. You will be trained in the area in which you excel until we mold you into tight form team. You have rest of the day free to take a rest. Dismissed!!!" At that she turns around and walks away. As you look at other members of the small group you see motley group of adventurers like yourself. Not thinking second thought you spend day at the local tavern (after all it was 4 weeks since you had any mead). In the morning fighters are separated away from rest of the group. Fighters quickly find out that previous training was nothing compared to what they are facing now. The opponents more often then not are Shar fighters. Within weeks that follow your knowledge of tactics is drilled over and over, followed by constant combat training and weapons studies. While fighters study warfare the mage is take in tutelage of the war wizard. Very quickly it is apparent that your skills as the mage were very limited till now. You learn how to use magic to bait and to trick mind of the opponent. You study theory of high magic as well as how to best utilize simple spells to do greatest damage. Cleric learns all the herbal and healing lore as the role of the medic falls on his shoulders. Rouge learns that it takes a lot of work to be good scout. While training continues for 2 more months, you as a unit start to practice more and more together, Fighting at times in local arena. Six months after you induction into service your again greeted by your sergeant, "Your instructors tell me that you are ready. Your orders are to report to town of Sentar. You will travel there by use of magic to speed up the travel. " she stops for moment as she reaches for something in the box in front of her "here are you uniforms..." You all see that uniform is a black tabard with silver piping around edges. The center of tabard is occupied by four pointed silver star outlined by silver flame. You all are in shock, those uniforms mean only one thing 'YOU ARE SHAR FIGHTERS!!!'. Sergeant looks with smile at all of you "Get ready, and be here in an hour." At that she spins around and leaves, leaving behind the box of uniforms. Quickly you gather your things and within hour you find yourself in front of captain of guard in Sentar. He looks you over and says "We heard rumors that new orcish invasion is gathering. I have 100 guards to defend this town as well as militia. I can't spare any men on scouting missions. Your first mission is to scout the dark region to five days to the east of here. It is one of the possible originating points of invasion, if it starts. As well as you know magic scrying doesn't operate in dark region, so we have to rely on you and other Shar fighters. If you encounter any small enemy forces, eliminate them. As to the large forces do what you can about slowing them down and report here immediately." he stops for moment "Any questions?" THE BRIEFING BY THE CAPTAIN With long brown shaggy hair and dark weather beaten features, Will looks around at the others. He scratches a short red-brown beard. His dark brown eyes appear slightly tilted, more so when he cocks his head to the side,which he does often. He steps forward and with quick precise movements places the tabard over studded leather armor. He adjusts the paired long swords nestled between quivers on his back so that they are not interfered with by the tabard. Once he has his gear arranged to his satisfaction he says "I have one, do you have any information about the lay of the land between here and the darkness? Are there any places we should specifically investigate or try to avoid? Is there a way we can signal you if we encounter troops before we reach the darkness?" Will stops asking questions for a moment and waits for some answers. Ignoring will's questions, Baclava softly caresses the black fabric of his tabard. Tears form in his blue eyes as he contemplates the glorious symbol etched on its surface. "I still can't believe it." he murmurs "Father will be so proud..." Tears streaming down his face, the burly fighter unsheats Head-cleaver and raises the mighty sword towards the ceiling. As the captain is opening his mouth to answer, he is interrupted by a shout "FOR THE HONOR OF MY FAMILY, I BACLAVA HEREBY SWEAR TO..." He pauses, a confused expression appears on his face, he lowers his weapon and in a lower voice adds "Uh...Do something Umm...heroic..." The young warrior retires to an unlit corner of the room, sniffling quietly, his face blushing deeply under his horned helm. Lady Arielle goes to confort him as he seemed to her to be a little emotional. While everybody stares at Baclava in astonishment, a tallish man steps forward into the light with a solid stride, his face half hidden in the mystery of the darken shadow made from of his wide brimmed hat. Wearing a heavy dust covered coachman's cloak, which parts as he moves, to reveal harden leather and metal studs beneath. He stops short of the table upon which rests his new uniform. Reaching forward, he runs his finger around the edge of the flame strike star, then picks up the tabard to put it on at a later time. "'Tis good to see that we have been given acceptance to our worth... and with god's light we shall take that worth upon the heathens that dare to bring desiccation to the good souls that are our people... We need no map. We shall bring deliverance upon them...." This is Jacob Morgan. You have heard word of him in the arena. Said to keep to himself, and for a priest.. he fights like a devil. The smallish looking warrioress, who has been silent 'til now and has kept herself at a distance, steps forward to inspect her tabard. She holds the material up to the light and inspects it, as if looking for flaws. "Good workmanship.", she says succinctly. She pulls the tabard over her hand-buffed and polished suit of studded leather armor, grabs her helmet, and states, "We wear the garment of the Shar, now we must prove that we are Shar! " With that, she steps back into the shadow, content to know that her weapons do the majority of her speaking for her. And when they speak, they shout her worth. The captain looks a bit annoyed at all these interruptions but bravely pushes on. He looks at Will and says "The land is mostly hills all the way to dark region. As to where you look it is up to you. If you detect large force or if 10 days pass return here immediatly and report, at that time depending on the situation I will give you next orders." During all this, a man of below average height and build pulls an opal out on a chain around his neck and rubs it lovingly. He looks up, and squits at each of the party in turn, as if trying to determine whether to believe in your presence. "So there's orcs in them thar caves, eh?" He asks. "Or at least," he continues thoughtfully, "that's what we are to believe... it's easier to keep an empire together with constant threat from abroad. If there ARE orcs, I think we can convince them that the lichen is greener in their OWN caves. And if there aren't... we'll say we turned the invasion back by ourselves!" He grins maniacally. "If orcs were no threat there would be no need for Shar figthers. Please don't underestimate orcish troops." puffes the captain, rather upset at this dismissal of his carreer. Baclava bites his lower lip, his eyes unfocus as he tries to understand what Terek just said. His eyes suddenly focus as he comes to some sort of decision. Stepping slightly forward out of his corner, he looks to Terek with a puzzled expression. "Are you saying we should lie to our Shar superiors ? Why go on a scouting mission at all if we make up what we saw ?" The warrior suddenly lights up in a brilliant smile, "Say, that's not a bad idea ! certainly saves everybody some time. How about a pitched battle with orcs followed by a celebration of epic proportion ? Throw in a couple of demons for flavor and there you have it !" He awaits the mage's answer, his eyes aglow with anticipation. "I think my comment about the possibility of the orcs not being there confused you. Please understand: I don't suggest that our leaders are sending us off on a wild goosechase, I am just suggesting that maybe the reason they SAY they are sending us is different from their actual motives. Maybe it's to ease the worries of the populace. Maybe it's to meet a threat which isn't orcs, but they don't want to start speculation as to what it MIGHT be. If we report that we encountered orcs, and we did not, it will not be for our personal glory, it will be because that's the report our commanders want to get out." He continues "I wonder sometimes if the whole purpose of my training is to believe in things which I can't see, and to disbelieve most of what I can. If I don't accept what I see with my own eyes at face value, should I immediatedly believe what I hear second hand?" Baclava nods wisely at the mage although he seems a bit lost. "But we DO get to scout out the land to the east, right ?" He asks hopefully. "and if...we umm... meet orcs they'll be real and... Ah if we don't urg..." He looks at the ceiling deep in thought. "... well, we'll kill them anyway ?" He beams, happy to have figured it out. "By the Gods, this strategy stuff is harder then tactics ! Father was right about that at least." The blond warrior crosses his arms and nods several times contemplating the mysteries of strategy. The captain, after waiting with patience for further questions straigthens up and says "Since there is no more questions, you are dissmised. You will leave as soon as possible. If you need anything ask the sergeant who is waiting outside the door for you." At that he looks away from the group and looks back at the stack of papers on his desk. THE SERGEANT & LEADERSHIP After all of you salute and file out from room, you see eldery soldier. He say "My name is Sergeant Demiri. So how can I help you?" At that he waits for questions. The dwarven warrioress saunters up to the sergeant, looks him in the eye and says, "When do we leave?" "As to when you leaving, the captain said that you should leave us soon as possible." Denika then ask, "Do we get to keep the spoils?" "Shar fighter are commisioned as special ops teams and as long as they follow all the laws they can keep what they get from THE ENEMY!!! Understood." He seems to be stressing the word enemy. Will clears his throat then once he has the sergeants attention asks "Please define who is categorized as the enemy." "Primarly orc and their cousins who attack innocents." "How much and what kind of provisions and foodstuffs will we be getting?" Denika inquires. "As for supplies you will be given 10 days worth of rations. You should be back by then. Any more questions?" Denikka, after waiting to see if the others have questions, turns to face her comrades. "If any of you are skilled at scouting or stealth, I suggest you volunteer to take point. If not, I will volunteer. My superior sense of infravision and my ability to 'feel' a dangerous situation will make me adequate as a point operative if no one else can do the job." She waits for a response. Will scans the group then speaks up "I have some skill in both scouting and stealth, but limited infravision. Perhaps if no one else has a better combination you will accompany me at point or if not you could take the number two spot." Denikka listens to Will's proposal and says, "Aye, I can be a capable second. Perhaps if I trail your position by about 20 - 30 feet, I can still put my infravision to good use and, hopefully, allow you to do your job, without the both of us endangering the mission." She looks at the others to see if her proposal meets with their approval. Baclava raises his hand in a call for attention, "Umm... Excuse me but wouldn't it be more important to find ourselves a leader before we discuss who's going to be scout ?" He pauses. "I think Lady Arielle would make a good leader." He throws her a quick look and a small smile crosses his lips. "She as the favor of the gods after all." he adds with conviction. The little dwarf pipes up, "We are Shar. When we go into battle our leader is the code of battle and the promise of victory. We were not discussing who we feel should be placed in an authority position, simply who the best candidates for being the first to encounter the enemy should be. We have passed training and we are equals in the sight of our instructors and the captain. If you feel you must give some.... "title" to Lady Arielle, then so be it. My duty is to our mission and to thwart the enemy." She grunts as she spins around, obviously a bit agitated by the suggestion that one of her peers be deemed her 'leader'. Baclava takes a few steps backwards, surprised at the dwarven maiden's intensity. "Ah..I Ah...didn't mean to insult you..." He straightens his shoulders "But you are a warrior, Denika. You know the confusion of battle. It is better to have someone outside the fray who sees more then the ennemy in front of him..." Seeing the displeasure in Dennika's eyes, Arielle tries to give her solace: "Please do not be angered by the idea of a leader. It was purely a suggestion, and anyone who held the post would merely be a first amongst equals to an outside observer. As far as the group is concerned, we are all brethren. We have much more to discuss, so let us argue on it no more." Smiling shily, Arielle looks down. Speaking quietly yet forcefully: "Perhaps I might take leadership, but I have observed young Master Stormborn, and he too has the mettle to be a fine leader." She looks back at her new friend, sharing a short smile with him before once again looking down. Baclava looks wistfully at Lady Arielle smiling at Stormborn. He shakes his head to clear it of unrelated thoughts "If Lady Arielle will not take the position, perhaps Brother Morgan, also favored by the Gods..." The corner of the warrior's mouth twitch in annoyance at the tought of the fiery human leading them "...would care to." He look to the dark priest. "Guide I shall be of faith but of men I shall lead only those that are just...As it is writen with the holy text of the mighty upon high." "Ask not of me to be leader, but neither should you seek one in someone who will merely desire the title." As if to ignore any reply, Jacob removes his coachmans cloak to show studded leather armour underneath and a wide buckled belt with two short swords and baldrics attached. Removing his hat and belt he then slips his uniform over his armour. Smoothing the folds he then redresses. After he replaces his cloak you may not have notice before that he has a shoulder bag which contains what looks like a book or tome, and a very old one at that. Terek clears his throat: "I have to agree with our dwarven companion's earlier remark. Since no leader was assigned to us, and we were not ordered to choose one, I would guess that the APPEARANCE of equality is supposed to exist within the unit. Naturally, in many groups of combattants an unofficial leader does seem to appear, through mutual consent, and this should not be discouraged. But I think we should decide upon this not with our conscious, fallible minds, but with our instincts, which, after our training, we have learned to rely on as much as reason. We should at least wait until we have each proven ourselves in real combat before we decide who is best to lead." "As for point position, I'm afraid that I would trip all over myself. I would, in fact, prefer to be at the back of the party, with perhaps someone to protect me, since my abilities lean to the art of deception, and I will be more effective if my gestures are not noticed." Will looks to the others then shrugs "I guess that settles the point position. I will be first followed by Denika, then in my opinion we should have Arielle, Terek, and Jacob with Baclava bringing up the rear. Keep in mind this will only be for single file in the dark. During daylight I can keep point without the assistance of Denika's vision." Tilting his helm back a bit, Baclava scatches his head trying to imagine the arrangement. "I'm not a great general or anything, but if you and Denika are going to be scouting ahead doesn't that leave Lady Arielle in the front of the party ? No offense Lady but I would feel better if I was between you and the ennemy in case of attack." He nods in the priestess's direction. "Barring that I'm all for it !" "I see your point but I didn't make myself clear. During the first five days while we are in the light, Denika can stay closer to the main body. Once we are in the tunnels to the dark, the whole group will have to be much closer together, therefore Denika would still be able to lend me help with her superior vision while providing any assistance needed by the Lady." After a slight pause Baclava continues "Since nobody seem to like the idea of an official leader, can we at least agree to make plans together and always stick to them as much as possible ? I've been trounced by my brothers often enough to know that a group is stronger than some guy alone !" He looks to each in turn, awaiting agreement. "I agree a unit working together often produces better results than a bunch of individuals doing their own thing. Perhaps we should arbitrarily name someone as battle leader just in case. That way we don't have to discuss what to do in the heat of battle. I would nominate Denika, she is a warrior, has better vision and can therefore take into account things we can not see, and being the only non-human of our group it prevents certain problems from arising." Then with a quick smile Will adds "Beside it wouldn't look good if I voted for myself." Obviously taken aback at the suggestion, the little dwarf seems to stumble upon her next words, although she seems to be very deliberate about what she wants to say, "Thank you for your confidence in me, Will, but I must decline. Our superiors did not appoint one of us as leader and I do not want to be encumbered with logistics and tactical planning." "Perhaps," she pauses for just a second as if trying to come up with the right combination of words, "we should let the fates decide who shall be our expedition leader." She looks at each of the others intently to see their reaction. "My proposal is simple. Let us each draw straws and the person with the longest straw is the leader. For reporting to, communications, whatever. I know that even the clerics and mage would defer tactical planning to us warriors when on the field. Since it is primarily a reporting position, let us choose randomly and let the gods decide. OR," , she says after a moments hesitation, "we could simply ask the captain and have him assign one of us as leader." She flicks her head ever so slightly to let her braids fly through the air in a tight circular motion which adds a sense of drama to her words. Then, she waits for the others to speak. Will stops for a moment looking for the right words to express his thoughts. "I see I have not made myself clear. I don't want to appoint a de facto leader of the group, I think we should all be heard from to plan and comment. What I am suggesting is someone who decides what actions such as advance, retreat, and the like we take while in battle. I would suggest we rotate this task, but that could lead to confusion. While I think discussions are fine most of the time, during melee is no time for polling the group. The reason I am suggesting only warriors as battle leader is they generally have the most tactical training. If either of the priests or the mage are better suited I will happily follow their battle commands." Will looks around to see if he has better explained his thoughts. "Hmm.", the little warrioress plays with her braids while thinking about Will's words. "What if our battle 'leader' is in a hopeless situation and yells, 'Retreat!', while the rest of us are pummeling the enemy. What good is that? We have trained as a unit and I say we fight as a unit. We are only as strong as our weakest link, and judging from what I have seen from our training, we are stronger than steel." She lowers her shoulder, let's out a little sigh, then continues, "I, for one, am growing weary of this discussion. I am ready to begin our mission." She grabs her equipment and heads for the door, looking very resolute. A little puzzled at the drarven warrior's statement of unity immediatly followed by individual action, Baclava holds out a hand to delay her. "Umm... Let's not go off half cocked. I mean... lets settle this with the will of the Gods, as Will suggested." After a nod of acknowlegment to Will, he rumages in his backpack and pulls out six pitons. Showing to everybody that one has had its head broken off, he closes his large palm on them and presents them to everyone in turn. "If somebody doesn't want to _lead_ don't draw a piton but don't come complainning afterwards." He rumbles. "You may draw for me, Baclava. I trust you to be upright and fair." Denika pauses at the door, waiting for the others. Smiling broadly and blushing a little at the dwarf's confidence in him, Baclava draws an additionnal spike and presents it to Denika as if it where a treasure of great worth. Will turns to Denika and says "I will abide by the majority decision on whether we want a battle leader or not.", he then reaches over and grabs a piton, glances at the head then shows the others. "I do agree Denika that we should get going. We can finish this discussion on the way if anyone has anything else to add." Baclava looks at the piton in Will's hand like a lost child. "I'll Ah... want those pitons back after the draw." After the draw he'll collect all pitons and lovingly put them back in his leather pack. Terek pulls his opal out from under his tunic. He caresses it fondly, and stares into its depths, forming in his mind the mystic words and runes of the Ventriloquism spell. He sends his voice to Will's position, and call's out "Retreat! Run for your lives!" Then, having fun with the spell by making his voice float around the room until the spell wears out, he says, "I think I have demonstrated that taking commands from a single leader in combat makes us too weak. None of us is stupid enough to put the group in danger by acting independantly. As for communications, I don't see why it's better to have one person as a liaison with our chiefs, unless our superiors prefer it. Since they haven't said they do, I suggest such a position is not in line with their needs. Let's forget this straw-drawing business, and set out immediately." After blinking a few times, Baclava figures out that the disembodies voice comes from Terek. He resumes his task. "Well call the leader _Head adviser_ then. Trust between a lead... I mean Head adviser and his Ummm... advisee ? has to be built up over time." Noting Terek's refusal, he thrust his pitons in the direction of Lady Arielle and Brother Morgan. "My father used to say that a squad without a leader is like a chicken without a neck... or was that farmer Fred...?" He shrugs. Morgan speaks, "As we are heading into the unknown and with little information of the territory, I shall call upon my beloved goddess Sif to give me the strenght to watch over this group with an Iron Vigil. Though I do not wish to be your leader I shall now take upon myself the title of protector. In that if any of our party shall be falling I shall be watching to give add to were it is due. In this vigil I shall not sleep nor eat for the next two weeks, after which I must do so, or I shall die... I shall not draw for leader." With that Jacob takes the old bible from his shoulder bay and begins to pray to on high, and call forth voccation. Will frowns and shrugs "I don't think the benefit of having a battle leader is worth all of this trouble." He carefully hands the piton back to Baclava, walks over to the door holds it open for Denika to exit, then turns to the others "I think we should be going, I am sorry I started this debate on the merits of a battle leader. If I am correct Arielle, Baclava and myself were for it, Denika, Terek, and Jacob are against. We could discuss it until we are blue in the face, while the Orcish hordes destroyed all around us. Please let us be off to bring fear and death to those from the darkness. Perhaps we could think of something else to discuss. Maybe a name for our band. How about the Hydra, a single body to stand for our united purpose with multiple heads to stand for our individuality." The last is added with a grin. Terek frowns: "I agree we've wasted too much time. I'm past caring who leads, as long as we we leave. As for our name..." He starts to stroke an imaginary beard in a manner which you have all come to associate with a windy speech. "There are very few reliable reports on hydra anatomy. Offensive measures against the hydra phenomena often end in disaster, or at the very least heavy casualties. The first problem with accurately depicting a hydra, then, is that few people have encountered them and lived. A second problem is that those who survive an attack on a hydra are not exactly preoccuppied with studying it scientifically. They are in the heat of battle, and are often blinded or poisoned by marsh gas (some allege that the hydra itself has posonous fumes, but this, like most other theories about the hydra, has yet to be firmly established). If the battle is victorious, few adventurers think to take a whole hydra carcass with them, which may be justifiable in the short term, considering its alleged size, but which has stifled enquiry into the hydra's nature. We have, of course, recovered some hydra corpses, but only the barest handful. We have no way of knowing whether these specimens are examples of the creatures the common folk associate with the hydra, or whether they are some sort of sorcerous practcal joke, perhaps even created by joining together various heads to one body posthumously. Some natural philosophers have rgued, with some credibility, that the hydra has only a single head, but one which moves at such a fantastic speed that it appears to have many to its opponents. My favorite theory, however, is that the hydra is not a single creature. It is a peculiar species of communal snake, which live in a tightly nested group, with their tales interwoven in such a way that they, again, appear to be a single creature." Terek clears his throat, "Of course, if we wish to increase the validity of the hydra as a single-bodied, multi-headed bcreature, and take advantage of its fearsom reputation,I don't see any reason why anatomical doubts as to the hydra's nature should dissuade us from such a course. As long as we all understand that the hydra is only to be taken allegorically, and that our group's structure is not dependant on the reality of the hydra, if in fact there is one..." Terek fades off, mumbling under his breath. "...Ahem... Quite." Baclava shuffled his feet. "_The Hydras_ sounds a bit drab though. Why don't we add something to it ? The obsidian hydras, the silver hydra..." Then quicker and with eyes shining with enthousiasm "... The sons of the hydra, Hydras united for adventuring, Alliance of the mighty hydras, They-who-like-the-hydra-have-many-heads-but-one-body..." The burly warrior is breathing hard. He takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out. "Sorry." He says, rubbing the back of his head "Got a bit carried away there." After everybody who wants to has drawn, Baclava will pick one too. "Do we get any transportation on this expedition ? Not that I'm weak or anything" He adds quickly "But a good mount does wonder for speed." "At any rate I think we should be going." Turning to the sergeant "As Baclava mentioned earlier do we have mounts or are we going on foot?" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CHARACTERS DM : jslodkowski@kraft.com (jan slodkowski) - Arielle, human priestess(Goddess) snowguard@hotmail.com Description: Hair:Light Brown, mid-back Eyes: Blue Ht: 5'8 Wt: 100lbs Age: 18 She is a voluptuously-built yet slender female, Arielle's most noticeable feature are her eyes. Deep and blue, there is often a spark that shines within them. Her long brown hair and flawless features have attracted the attention of more than one young suitor, which is why she prefers to wear dull colours. - Denika Amberslag, dwarven warrioress GSTRUTHERS@gcwf.com Denikka is a rather tall (for a dwarf) female warrior. At 4' 4" and 127 lbs. she is quite muscular. She has sandy blonde hair which she has arranged into a quintet of slender braids which she has ornamented with semi-precious gemstones. The braids generally hang down on the left side of her head. Her eyes appear to be gun-metal grey. - Terek the Mad, human mage / tcormi@PO-Box.McGill.CA (Thomas Cormie) Terek is a small man, with black unkempt hair and blue eyes which seem to look through, rather than at, you. He has a propensity for grinning desperately, as if you just told a joke, and he's trying to be polite. Under his tunic, he is wearing a horribly clashing set of clothes. - Baclava, human warrior / fred.fleury@mailcity.com (Frederic Fleury) General Stats : Human Male 5'11(1m78) age19 169pounds. Description : An average looking Caucasian male with a broad face usually painted with a mild smile surmounted by vacant blue eyes. He keeps his blond locks in an unrully mass roughly shoulder length. His nicked and scrached splint mail is covered by his brand new black and silver tabard (of which he is quite proud). Behind his cloak covered right shoulder can be seen the hilt of Head-cleaver, his weapon of choice. Many a road has he stumbled on and his dusty leather boots shall see a lot more (with the grace of the Gods). - Will Stormborn,human warrior/thief / rogue@icok.net (Michael Wigginton) With long brown shaggy hair and dark weather beaten features, Will looks around at the others. He scratches a short red-brown beard. His dark brown eyes appear slightly tilted, more so when he cocks his head to the side, which he does often. He steps forward and with quick precise movements places the tabard over studded leather armor. He adjusts the paired long swords nestled between quivers on his back so that they are not interfered with by the tabard. - Jacob Morgan, human priest(Sif, Excelence) madden@fullcomp.com.au A tallish man steps forward into the light with a solid stride, his face half hidden in the mystery of the darken shadow made from of his wide brimmed hat. Wearing a heavy dust covered coachman's cloak, which parts as he moves, to reveal harden leather and metal studs beneath. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------